Family Movie Night

Friday night marked the triumphant return of Family Movie Night at our house. We made popcorn, turned off all the lights, and watched the classic short Rikki-Tikki Tavi, followed by A.I. – Artificial Intelligence. Things have been busy and hectic for several months, so my goal was to simply get all six of us together for a low-key activity. Unfortunately, Isaac opted to go out with friends instead, so my plan didn't quite come to fruition as I'd hoped. We trudged on regardless, and the drooling mongrel Bijou was happy to take the vacant spot on the couch.


I must acknowledge that Sierra was more or less responsible for both selections. She asked me to Netflix Rikki-Tikki Tavi a few weeks back, and as for A.I., it's one of her favorites. I was happy to accommodate both. What none of us could have anticipated, however, was that Teresa, upon viewing Rikki-Tikki Tavi for the first time since her childhood, was able to decode her puzzling lifelong fear of snakes (hell, "fear" doesn't even cover it; she can't even look at a picture of a snake!). She's never been able to figure out why she has such a strong aversion to the slithering things, but after viewing Rikki-Tikki Tavi, she was able to determine that her paralyzing fear originated after seeing the film in grade school. Understanding fear is the first step toward conquering it, so I view this as a positive first step in curing her. Just watch, before long we'll have pet snakes all over the house.

I want to keep doing Family Movie Night every two weeks, which was my original intent a few years back. My plan is to always start with a short subject, followed by the main feature. Our next screening is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 1st: Frankenweenie and The Nightmare before Christmas. Here's hoping everyone will be there this time (you hear that, Isaac? I'm talking to YOU).